Transmission line guide chains may comprise a plurality of connected chain links that define an axially extending through-passage to house transmission lines. The transmission lines may be hoses, tubes or cables. The hoses, tubes or cables are connected at one end to a source and at the other to a movable unit to transmit a fluid or electrical energy from the source to the movable unit. The fluid may be an actuating fluid, for example a pneumatic or hydraulic fluid, or a consumable fluid such as a coating fluid, for example an ink or paint. The electrical energy may be a source of electrical power, control signals or data. The movable unit may be an element of a robot or an element of a machine, for example a carriage of a printer. Transmission line guide chains restrain and guide the transmission lines they house as the movable unit moves relative to the source.